


Five times Stiles called for Derek and one time he didn't have to.

by charlotteatethecat



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, I really like the five things plus one extra, LIKE REALLY REALLY LIKE, M/M, Panic Attacks, Stilinski Family Feels, mildly angsty, must have all of them, my head was just all angst/fluff/comedy, poor bby stiles, slightly comical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2017-12-13 04:42:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlotteatethecat/pseuds/charlotteatethecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Stiles needed help and Derek was the only one to ask, and one time when he didn't even have to call.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Car Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> Possible trigger warning for panic attacks in later chapters.
> 
> This first chapter was supposed to be funny, but then ANGST!
> 
> I apologize :/

1.

Stiles' day literally couldn't get any worse.

First he had the delight of running into Jackson at the grocery store and the douchebag didn't hesitate on commenting about his terrible attempt at magic during the last pack meeting.

It wasn't his fault that the material of the Derek's new sofa is extremely flammable...it was a complete accident, although he has been avoiding Derek for the past week after seeing his horrified facial expression just after the couch caught alight.

If Stiles Stilinski had a talent, it was the ability to fuck up catastrophically. Scott had told him the Derek wasn't mad and that he understood it was an accident, but Stiles just couldn't forget the utter despair flash across Derek's face, just before he grabbed the fire extinguisher and dowsed out the flames.

But that wasn't important now. What _was ___important was the fact that it was hammering it down with rain, just past 10 o'clock and Stiles was stranded just outside of town.

Muttering to himself he bashed his hands against the steering wheel of the jeep for the sixth time in the last five minutes. "Stupid Jeep." He growled. "I'm really not in the mood for this." 

He zipped his hoodie up and pulled the hood over his head, before taking a deep breath and opening the door to the jeep. He is instantly met with a wave of rain and quickly pulls himself out of the drivers seat, so the interior doesn't get any wetter. 

He dashes to the front of the jeep and pops the hood up, before opening his mouth in shock. "You have got to be kidding me..." He says, rolling his eyes. The engine of the jeep is covered in oil and he can see numerous cracks in the metal of the separate compartments. He reaches over to try and grab a crushed piece of metal, then hisses and pulls his hand back when he burns his fingers. 

He pauses, holding his index and middle finger in his mouth, and thinks of what he could do. He can't call Scott. Him and Allison are currently trying to work things out in their on-and-off again relationship, so he won't even take the time to check his phone. His Dad is at work and wouldn't be able to help him even if he wanted to, not with the major robbery in town earlier that week. The Betas were out. They were away at some sort of getaway weekend Erica's parents had organised to congratulate them on their finals. Lydia and Jackson were definitely not going to answer his call, not if the items Jackson was purchasing at the grocery were anything to go by. Nope, they were probably halfway through some sort of sex marathon. 

Stiles shudders, not even beginning to think about what Lydia and Jackson could be up to. 

This left only one person to call. Someone who would probably be more helpful than the others anyway. 

Derek. 

Derek Hale. 

The guy he's been avoiding all week. 

Stiles groaned and slammed the hood down, causing the rain to hit him full force again. He ran back around and jumped into the jeep. He pulled his hood down and ran his fingers back through his hair, getting rid of some excess water, before grabbing his phone from the passenger seat and searching through his contacts for Derek. Or _Big Bad Alpha ___as he was listed in his phone.

He pulls his phone up to his ear and doesn't even hear it ring twice before Derek picks up. 

"Stiles." Derek says. 

"Heeeyy Derek." Stiles replies, trying to play it cool. 

"What do you want Stiles?" He can hear a slight edge to Derek's voice. 

"What makes you think I want something?" Stiles asks, panicking slightly. 

"Well, you've been ignoring me all week, so it must have taken something going wrong for you to call." Derek answers and Stiles can hear the smirk in his voice. 

"Okay...really sorry about that." Stiles sighs. "But the jeep has just died on me, it's like a tropical thunderstorm out there and I'm stuck on the outskirts of town." 

"And?" Derek asks smugly. 

Stiles pulls the phone away from his ear and scowls at it, before putting it back up to his ear. "Well I was wondering if you could come and pick me up...please?" 

"Sorry Stiles, no can do, I've got a hot date tonight and if I come get you I'm gonna be late for it." Derek answers, sighing apologetically. 

"..." 

"Stiles? Stiles are you there?" Derek questions. He can hear Derek closing a door and then he hears the engine of the Camaro start up. _Probably heading out to meet his date then, Stiles thinks. ___

"Yeah...yeah sorry." Stiles answers, licking around his now dry mouth. "It's fine. Totally and completely fine. Like it's so fine, you can hang up now and go on your _hot date ___. Yup, don't worry about me I'll sort something out. Bye."

He hangs up before Derek can say anything and lets his head fall down onto the steering wheel. 

"Yeah, really not my day today." He mutters. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Stiles doesn't have the number for a local towing company, so he decides to wait out the storm and then take a look at the engine when it stops raining. After about 20 minutes of playing sudoku on his phone someone knocks on the passenger side window. 

Stiles doesn't scream. 

He doesn't. 

Okay, well he does, but it's like 10:30, pitch black out, and he definitely wasn't expecting company. 

Before he can pull himself together, the passenger door opens and a tallish man with dark hair and a grey henley sits in the seat beside him. 

"Look dude, I know I've broken down, but ermm...my friend is on the way and he's like really big and scary looki...Derek?!" Stiles sputters. 

Derek turns and smirks at him. "Big and scary looking? Really Stiles?" 

Stiles opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, before opening it again and says, "I though you had a 'hot date'?" 

Derek rolls his eyes and Stiles is so used to it he doesn't even snark back anymore. "Stiles, when do I ever go out anywhere to meet someone to go on a 'hot date'?" 

Stiles doesn't know what to say. 

"I was joking Stiles, if you haven't got that by now." Derek sighs. "Now come on, do you want a ride back into town or not?" 

Stiles nods, still a bit dumbstruck. Was this Derek's way of getting back at Stiles for setting the couch on fire? Because as much as he thought he deserved it, the idea of being stuck in his jeep for the rest of the night scared him. Not that he'd tell anyone that. 

He didn't even realize he'd walked over to the camaro and got into the passenger seat, he was too busy thinking about how Derek was punishing him. Surely he deserved more than just being led to believe he was stranded for the night. Maybe Derek had something else planned. Stiles froze in his seat. Maybe he wasn't taking him home at all. 

"Of course I'm taking you home, idiot." Derek said, huffing with fondness. 

Oh, so he'd said that last bit out loud. 

"Yeah you did." 

Damn it. 

"Look Stiles, Scott told me how you've been beating yourself up about the whole couch incident, but it was an accident. I'm not mad at you." Derek explains. 

Stiles stays quiet and just looks out the window at the rain. 

"It could have been Lydia." Derek continues. "Either of you could have got the spell wrong, it's not the en..." 

"But it was me." Stiles says quietly. 

"What?" Derek asks. 

"But it was me. Not Lydia." Stiles spits. "I messed up the spell. I set the couch on fire. I put that look on your fa..." 

"Wait, wait, what look?" Derek interrupts. 

Stiles blushes. 

"What look Stiles?" Derek questions, looking over at Stiles worriedly. 

"The look." Stiles turns to Derek. "The look that makes me feel as if I was the one who just brought back all the painful memories of the fire." 

Derek freezes and turns to look back out the front window. "Stiles, it was an accident. Anyone can set something on fire. Hell, the other week Isaac almost set the kitchen on fire, because he used to much oil in the pan. And it was fine Stiles, it was an accident." 

Stiles is once again speechless. He looks over Derek's profile and he can see that he's slightly mad with the way his eyebrow is arched. But he's not mad because Stiles set something on fire, he's mad because Stiles doesn't understand that it was an accident and Derek is okay with it. 

"Oh." 

"Yes, 'oh'." Derek looks back over at him, a small smile playing on his lips. "We're at you house now." 

Stiles looks out the window and notices that they are in fact, parked up outside his house. "Umm...thanks for the ride then." He says, rubbing his hand through his hair and trying not look at Derek. "And sorry about your couch." 

He moves to open the door and exit, but Derek grips his arm. "Stiles, you don't need to apologize. And 'The Look' you were talking about, is the look I have when I'm around any sort of open flame." Derek says, voice soft. "I'm afraid of fire Stiles, always will be, that doesn't mean that if you accidentally set something on fire I'm gonna freak out about it or get mad, because I won't." 

Stiles keeps eye contact with him and nods slightly. Derek smiles and releases him. "Quick, get out of my car before you let all the rain in." 

Stiles smirks and jumps out into the rain. He's halfway up his drive when he hears Derek call out behind him and stops. "Pack meeting tomorrow, don't forget. Oh and please don't set my new couch on fire, I really like this one." 

He hears the camaro drive away and a wide smile spreads across his face as he strolls up to his front door, completely ignorant of the rain. 


	2. If you go down to the woods today...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that Stiles is incapable of defending himself from the wrath of the most horrid of forest dwelling monsters.

2.

After the incident with the Pixies, Stiles has decided that he needs to increase the power put into the protective charms around Derek's property. So he's taken it upon himself to go down to the woods this Saturday and set about renewing the twenty or so charms he knew would need some extra belief in them to be effective.

Let it be known, that Stiles Stilinski is not the most graceful of creatures and had spent numerous hours as a child entertaining the Beacon Hills Hospital nurses, whilst they stitched him up or set his bones.

So it's only right that even now, as a tall, lean eighteen year old, he still struggles to keep on his feet.

He has just finished instilling some more of his belief into one of the final charms, when he hears a rustling sound behind him.

Glancing around he listens to try and hear where the noise came from. After a few minutes of silence the rustling noise starts up again.

Stiles moves quietly over to a collection of bushes where the noise is coming from, brushing his palms together nervously in case he needs to use his magic.

As he approaches the bushes the noise suddenly stops. Stiles takes a deep breath, rolling down the sleeves of his plaid shirt, so the thorns from the bush won't scratch him. Leaning forwards he lifts his hands to move some of the leaves away, but something jumps out of the bush towards him.

Stiles screams. "Oh my God!" He turns and starts to scramble away, only to catch his foot on a large root and come crashing to the ground.

"Holy shit!" Stiles exclaims, as he looks backwards to where his ankle is bent at an uneven angle. "Jesus Christ, what the hell?!"

Stiles twists around onto his back, being careful of where he places his foot, but wincing slightly when it comes back into contact with the ground. From this position he can take in the full extent of damage to his foot.

Yup. 

Definitely broken.

No doubt about that.

"For the love of God." Stiles says, looking up to the sky and leaning back on his palms. "Really not in the mood for this." He's already exhausted from using his magic throughout the day and now the pain shooting up his leg is also making him weaker.

He sees something moving out of the corner of his eye and snaps his head to right. He gasps and his jaw drops as he comes face to face with the monster from the bushes.

A rabbit.

A small. Brown. Fluffy. Rabbit.

"Get the hell out." He practically shouts, startling the rabbit and making it run away. Stiles glares daggers at where the rabbit ran off through the bush and pulls his phone out of his pocket, only to groan when he realizes he has no signal. "Really? You want to do this to me now?" He mutters angrily to the phone.

He shoves it back into his pocket and weighs up his options. He could wait it out, hoping that someone will notice he's missing before it gets too dark or he could shout and hope that a member of the pack will hear him.

Nope, that's out of the question. He's too far away from Derek's loft, even though it's only just on the outskirts of the forest.

He could...no that's just stupid, but it could work. Stiles ignores the idea and lies down in the dirt and leaves. Tears prick at his eyes, as the pain travels up through his leg and he bites down on his lip to stop himself from sobbing.

"No." He says, through gritted teeth. "Not gonna cry. I've had worse." He recalls the incident with the pixies and rubs his hand over his ribs where he knows there's the beginning of a thick red scar.

He lifts himself up and leans back on his palms again, taking a moment to quickly wipe away the wetness around his eyes. He lets his head fall back and looks up at the sky. It's starting to get darker and he knows he only has at least an hour before it gets too dark to see.

He sits up straight and runs his hands through his hair. "I'm really gonna do this aren't I?" He asks himself, already knowing the answer. "God, Derek's gonna kill me."

He takes a deep breathe out and grins, before throwing his head back and howling as loud as possible.

He lets the howl dwindle down into silence and falls back onto his hands. "Wow." He says, a bit breathless. "That was one fine ho..." He's cut off by the distinct echo of an answering howl and his face breaks into a wide smile.

"Woo hoo!" He shouts. "Stilinski for the win." He lays back down on the ground, closes his eyes, and crosses his arms behind his head, waiting for Derek to find him.

\------------------------------------------

It seems like only a few minutes have passed, before Derek is crashing through the underbrush and stopping just short of Stiles.

Stiles opens his eyes and moves up onto his elbows. "Howdy."

Derek is breathing heavy and glancing around the clearing Stiles is in. "You...you howled?" He asks, taking a deep breath in and bending over to lean on his knees. "You howled for me?"

"Ermm...yeah." He sits up fully and rubs his hands down his thighs, forgetting about his ankle and dragging it across the ground. "Ow, shit." He bites his bottom lip and looks down at his foot, gripping his leg firmly to try and keep it still.

He feels a hand on the middle of his back and looks up at Derek's worried face. "Umm..." He starts, but Derek cuts him off.

"Stiles, what happened? Are you okay?" Derek asks, glancing up and down his body.

This snaps Stiles back into reality. "Yeah, just peachy. I mean apart from the broken ankle and all." He snarks back.

Derek's face turns into a glare.

Stiles grimaces. "Sorry. It just hurts man." He indicates towards his right ankle. "It's broken." He admits sheepishly.

Derek's mouth is set in a firm line and he nods, just before pushing one of his arms under Stile's knees and the other around his back, and swinging him up into his arms.

Stiles squawks and waves his hands in the air, accidentally hitting Derek in the chest. "Dude!" He shouts. "Give a guy some warning."

Derek just smirks down at him and starts walking through the woods. "You should put your arms around my neck." He says.

Stiles blushes and opens his mouth to speak, then snaps it shut and throws his arm around Derek's shoulder. "You know I don't appreciate the whole 'bridal carrying' that is going on around right now." He says, waving his free hand in front of Derek's face.

Derek huffs out what could be considered a laugh. "Would you rather I let you drag yourself across the ground, all the way to the hospital?" He raises one of his eyebrows and stops walking.

Stiles wraps his other arm around his neck and grips Derek tightly. "You wouldn't?" He asks, shocked.

Derek laughs. "I don't know, if you keep up that Vulcan death grip you've got on my neck, _I_ might be the one in hospital."

Stiles loosens his grip completely and brings both hands around to settle into his lap. "Did you just...did you just make a Star Trek reference?" Stiles asks, his voice squeaking slightly with excitement.

"Depends." Derek shrugs. "Have you seen the newest film?"

Stiles flails and Derek struggles to keep him in his arms, not that Stiles notices anyway. "Have I seen the new film?" He screeches. "Dude, I saw it two days in a row." He pauses. "Have you seen it? Oh my God! This is gonna be the best conversation ever."

Derek rolls his eyes, but there's a smirk playing at his lips, as he continues walking, Stiles flailing in his arms. "Bro, we _need_ to discuss how hot Benedict Cumberbatch was in that film, am I right?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys like this!
> 
> I'm gonna post this fic daily to start getting me back into the routine of writing everyday, especially now I have 3 months of free time.
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, thanks a bunch :D
> 
> Follow me on tumblr and things: charlotteatethecat ;)


	3. Pack Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Derek realized the consequences of carrying Stiles to the hospital, he'd have left him in the forest.
> 
> (A short interval with some members of the pack and a realisation form Derek.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might possibly extend this, if only to have a version of this chapter, but with Stiles as the one being trapped by the pack.

Scott.

“So...” Scott starts. “He _howled_ for you?”

“Shut up, Scott.” Derek says, slightly exasperated. He’s been sitting in the hospital waiting room for the past two hours and has heard Stiles tell every single member of the pack just how Derek ‘saved’ him. But not only has he just told the pack, he’s exaggerated and emphasized every single moment of said ‘rescue’ to the extent that the howl was and he could quote Stiles directly, ‘Like a majestic echo of the wolves he has so extensively come to protect and run with.’ Honestly, it was like the kid thought he was the ‘Werewolf Whisperer.’

“Nah, I don’t mean anything by it.” Scott continues, completely disregarding Derek’s statement. “It was cool you know, like he’s really part of the pack.”

Derek turns and looks at Scott confused. “But he is pack.” 

Scott rolls his eyes and Derek can’t help but think how Stiles would comment that he was rubbing off on the ‘pups’. “Dude, I know he’s pack, but I just think maybe it would be nice of him to hear it.”

Derek shakes his head, his eyes widening. “Where is this coming from?” He asks, getting slightly nervous and a bit angry. “Does Stiles think he’s not pack? When did he say this? How could he even thi...”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down bro.” Scott says quickly, placing a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “He didn't say _anything_ , we just think that maybe if you mentioned something to him he might feel better about the whole broken ankle situation.”

Just as Derek’s about to reply, a round of laughter comes from within Stiles’ hospital room followed by, “I kid you not Erica, the trees shook with how loud my howl was.”

Derek looks back at Scott, smirking, and Scott grimaces. “He seems fine to me. And _we_?”

Scott just sighs and slouches back in his chair. “Dude, I knew we should have got Lydia to talk to you about this.”

Derek scrunches his face up in confusion. “Talk about what?”

Well at least Scott has the decency to look sheepish. “Ermm, nothing.” He stutters. “I’m sure she’s gonna talk to you soon, anyway got to go, Deaton’s expecting me for a shift. Tell Stiles I said goodbye.” And with that he jumps up and dashes over to where the elevator is just opening, quickly getting inside, before waving over at Derek with a huge grin.

Now Derek is seriously confused, but he just shakes his head and imagines the strange behavior is just Scott being Scott. He huffs out a fond sigh and pulls of his leather jacket, folding it over the side of the chair and settling in for a long wait.

 

Erica.

It wasn't too long until another member of his pack sat down next to him. He could tell it was Erica from the mouthful of blonde curls he got, when she swung her hair over her shoulder. “Honestly, that boy is completely insane.” She says. “Could you imagine if there had been someone else out in the woods today? Like what if they had heard that howl? Or, oh my God, what if it had been a wild animal?” 

“Erica.” Derek growls out. He doesn't need to be reminded of what could have happened out there. Stiles was never really in any immediate danger, he’d only broken his leg, it wasn't like he was bleeding out or anything. But Erica’s right, there could have been something else out there that heard the howl. What if he hadn't got there as soon as possible? Would Stiles still have been okay?

He shakes his head and wonders where all this worry for Stiles’ health and well-being came from.  
“...but he really is an idiot sometimes.” He hears Erica say.

“What?” He asks, receiving a glare from Erica. “Sorry, I wasn't concentrating.”

She snorts. “Yeah, the hell you weren't. Otherwise you’d have heard about all the awesome things Stiles has been saying about you.”

His head snaps up and he looks at her. “What? What are you talking about?” Once again he’s confused. “I only helped carry him to the hospital.”

“Puh-lease.” She drawls out. “He’s been talking about you like you've hung the frigging moon.” She laughs a little at the irony. “And by that, I mean waxing on poetically about your extensive knowledge of Star Trek, and the little grin that was on your face when he was fantasizing about Khan, and the way your face lit up when he mentioned how cute Anton Yelchin was as Chekov.”

Derek finds himself grinning, as he recalls the conversation they had on the walk to the hospital and the goofy smile Stiles had on his face when he joined into the Star Trek conversation.

“Ughh, no way.” Erica spits, like she’s just walked in on Scott and Allison doing the dirty, which has happened too many times for the pack to keep count. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” He asks, his smile growing smaller.

“That thing you’re doing with your face, where you look as if Stiles just dropped off a deer in front of your house as a gift.” She explains.

Derek’s jaw drops and he makes a few small, almost inaudible stuttering noises. Erica just smirks at him. “What..I..I..” He starts, then shuts his mouth and composes himself. “First, that is a terrible analogy and second, I have no idea at what you’re getting at.” He emphasizes his point by crossing his arms over his chest.

“Uh huh.” She says standing up.” You keep telling yourself that Der.” She pats his head patronizingly, winks at him and sashays away.

Derek just stares after her, gobsmacked. What the hell is going on?

 

Isaac.

“Isaac, I swear to god if you’re here to talk in some weird cryptic code that somehow involves me and Stiles, I will rip your throat out.” Derek snarls.

Isaac hesitates where he’s about to sit his butt down on the chair next to Derek. “Okay...” He says uneasily, finally settling himself down in the seat.

Derek looks over to where his beta is fiddling with his thumbs. “Sorry Isaac.” He apologizes. “It’s just Scott and Erica came out and started talking about me and Stiles and I really didn't understand what they were getting on about.”

Isaac glances over at Derek’s face and raises one of his eyebrows, as if to say ‘Really? You have no idea?’

Derek just sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay then fine, talk. I know you’re out here to say something as well.”

A slow smile makes his way over Isaac’s face. “You really kept up a conversation with Stiles about Star Trek?” He asks, a little bit excited.

Derek huffs a laugh. “Yeah, yeah I did.”

“Awesome, I mean, congrats on being able to entertain him for the whole _four miles_ it took you to get him to the hospital.” Isaac nods, whilst Derek groans. “What? What did I do?”

“It’s not what you did.” Derek started. “It’s how you said it. Really, Isaac? Four miles is nothing, it was hardly a push.”

“Hey, I’m not questioning your Alpha capabilities.” Isaac replies, lifting his hands up defensively, which reminds him a bit of how Scott reacts when Stiles shouts at him. “I’m just saying that you had a perfectly functional camaro sitting outside your loft, which if I’m correct is only a mile away from the forest.” Isaac smirks knowingly.

Derek grumbles. “He’d have only complained that the camaro was making his ankle bounce and hurt even more. You know what he’s like with pain and whining.”

“Yeah, but normally you’d just tell him to shut up and deal with it.” Isaac explains. “What changed?”

“I don’t know, he just got under my skin. It’s like he’s the most important part of the pack, I just feel antsy when I’m not aware of what he’s doing or where he is...” Derek stops abruptly, realizing what he’s just said.

“You had no idea right?” Isaac asks. “It just snuck up on you from out of nowhere. Like a lightning strike.” Isaac grins.

Derek gulps, pushing back his nervousness over what Isaac was insinuating. “What do you mean _it_?”

“Well your obvious affections for Stiles.” He states matter-of-factly.

And once again Derek is lost for words. He opens his mouth to speak, but Isaac cuts him off.

“Don’t deny it.” He says. “It’s not a problem with the pack if that’s what you’re worried about. And I mean, I’m pretty sure Stiles is okay with it.”

This knocks Derek out of his shocked stupor. “What? What did you say? Did you say something?”

Isaac lifts his arms up again. “No, dude I wouldn't say anything. It’s more of how his body changes when he talks about you or when he knows you’re near.” He sighs. “It’s not as gross as when Scott was mooning over Allison.” He sniggers and Derek rolls his eyes. “But it’s a close thing.”

Derek doesn't know how to react, I mean, he knew Stiles was attracted to him, but he thought it was just the same as when he smiles at the brunette checkout girl at Target or when he winks at his local mechanic after getting the car checked over. He didn't know it was like this.

“Just think it over.” Isaac says, smiling and rubbing his hand over Derek’s shoulders, before he stands up and walks in the direction of the cafeteria.

 

Lydia.

He hears Lydia before he sees her, her high heels clacking against the linoleum. He knew she’d come by sooner or later, but he’d be lying if he didn't want it to be the latter.

“Erica said you’d still be here.” She says, and he looks up to see her standing in front of him.

“Hello Lydia.” He says, trying not to sound too snarky.

She purses her lips and squints at him, as if assessing him. “Hmm. Look, I’m not going to shout at you or anything.” She starts, but Derek interrupts.

“What? I haven’t done anyth...”

“Don’t interrupt me, Hale.” She says firmly and Derek looks down at the floor. “Look, I know that you have some major issues with family and emotions, but Stiles will never hurt you, I know that for a fact. That poor boy in there has been through hell too and God only knows I should have been there when his mother was ill.” She stops for a moment and takes a deep breath. “I was a bad friend, Derek. I wasn't there for Stiles when he needed me, well...when I could have helped. I don’t know whether Stiles has forgotten or he’s forgiven me, but I shut him out on one of the most terrible days of his life.” Derek looks up and he can see tears at the corner of her eyes. “He needs someone Derek. Not his Father, not Scott and definitely not me. I know he’s only broken his ankle and that the situation isn't life threatening, but I didn't want us to be in a dangerous situation and not get the chance to say this.” She sobs now and Derek reaches out to hold her hand. She grips it tightly and takes a deep breath. “You need someone to love and so does Stiles. You know he would risk his life for you and the pack and he will never hurt you.”

Derek growls at this, but Lydia just slaps him around the head with her free hand. “I know Isaac’s talked to you about this, so stop being an ass and tell him how you feel.”

“I...I can’t Lydia.” He says, pained.

She smacks him around the head again. “I’m not asking you to march in there right now and announce your undying love for him. I’m just saying that when the time comes, you better pull your head out of your ass and act on your instincts.”

She pulls her hand out of his, leans down and hugs him. Just as she moves back, she hesitates and whispers in his ear, “And I swear to God if you hurt him, I’ll make sure you’re vomiting Wolfsbane for a month.” She pecks him on the cheek and strides over to Stiles’ room.

Derek just slouches back into the chair and wipes his hand over his mouth murmuring, “Where did this come from? I only carried him to the hospital...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys like this!
> 
> I'm gonna post this fic daily to start getting me back into the routine of writing everyday, especially now I have 3 months of free time.
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, thanks a bunch :D
> 
> Follow me on tumblr and things: charlotteatethecat ;)


	4. October 19th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a difficult day for Stiles and it seems there's only one person who can help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Panic Attacks
> 
> I've suffered from panic attacks, so I'm basing Stiles' attack on my own personal experience, which if I'm being honest was not very nice...like super not nice.
> 
> Ughh I'm a terrible human being, I just want to hug Stiles poor bby, I know how he feels :(

October 19th 1999.

A cherub faced 5 year old Stiles sits in his Mother's lap on the porch of their house. It's warm for October and they're making the most of the evening sun together. He's nattering away about the new Batman comic that Scott brought over. 

"But Mommy, it wasn't just like Batman got the bad guy, he did what Daddy does." He pauses, his amber eyes glittering as he looks up at his Mother. "You know, he...he put them in jail. Like this really big jail called Arkin." He waves his little arms around to emphsize his point.

His Mother laughs; and it's a soft willowy sound, as she runs her hands through his hair. "It's _Arkham_ honey. And that was nice of Scott to let you borrow his comic."

Stiles face lights up with a grin. "It's because he's my bestest friend ever. We're like Batman and Robin, only so much cooler."

She leans down and rubs her nose against his, making him squeal. "Oh really?" She says. "And who's who?"

He wriggles in her lap, before looking up at her seriously. "I'm Robin duh." He says, scrunching up his nose. "Batman would be nothing if Robin didn't watch out for him."

"You're right about that honey." She looks down at him fondly, then runs her hands back through his hair. He snuggles down into her chest, resting his head over her heart and curls his hand into the front of her shirt. She continues rubbing her hands through his hair, knowing how much he likes it.

"When I grow up." He mumbles. "I'm gonna be an awesome superhero like Batman and Robin and Daddy." He snuffles into her shirt, trying to fight back the tiredness after their day of walking through the woods and going into town.

"I know you are, Honey." She says, looking down at the soft face of her son. "You're gonna be big and strong, and have so many friends to take care of you." She sighs and looks out across the yard. "You're gonna go on adventures into the woods with Scott, find new worlds and become the kings of new lands. But you're always gonna come home to me and your Daddy, because all superheroes need Mama's famous lasagna and only special super Mommy's like me and Mrs. McCall make them."

She looks down at the now sleeping form of her son and pulls a strand of her short brown hair behind her ear. "You're gonna grow up and be so handsome, you'll have all the girls after you, even Miss Lydia Martin. Then you'll go off and play all the sports you want, as long as you keep up your school work, gotta get good grades if you want to go to a good college. And after that you'll no doubt go to a brilliant college and study something to do with comic books or science, I know how much you like those books on space." She knows her son is completely dead to the world now that he's asleep, but she keeps talking to him, trying to soothe herself.

"Then you'll come back to me and your Daddy and we'll go away on a holiday to see the bears and wolves at the national park you love, and you'll be able to tell us about the new character you created for your comic, based on the wolves in the woods." She wipes a hand across her face, catching some of the tears that have started to fall. "You'll find someone you love and who loves you back, then you'll get married and I'll hold your hand just before you have to go stand at the altar, and I'll kiss your forehead and stroke your hair so that you stop panicking." She can't stop the tears now, but holds in the sobs that will no doubt wake up her son.

"And you'll always be loved, my sweet angel, always." She grips him a little tighter to herself and he nuzzles her chest, shifting in his sleep. "Whether it's me or your father or a whole bunch of new people, they will love you and they will protect you." She leans her cheek against the top of her son's head, as tears slip down her face. "You will never be alone and I will never stop loving you. Never."

She pulls her head back and sits upright in the chair, pulling Stiles into a more comfortable position. She uses one hand to wipe away the tear tracts on her face, then wraps both of them around her son and stands up to carry him into the house. She walks through the kitchen and glances over to the counter, where a letter of diagnosis sits next to a couple of bills. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath trying to ignore the looming darkness that's hanging over her, but she's already memorized every word of that letter, from the apology of bearing such bad news to the list of possible treatment options.

She feels two small hands settle on her cheeks. "Mommy?" Stiles yawns. "Are you okay?"

She opens her eyes and looks down into her son's sleepy ones. "Yes, Honey. I'm fine." She lies, stretching her mouth into a soft smile. "I'm just tired. Do you thing Daddy would mind if we slept in his bed?"

Stiles giggle sleepily. "Nuh huh." He shakes his head. "He'll probably snuggle up with us after he catches the bad guys."

"Yeah, I bet he will." She nuzzles his nose and he scrunches up his face, trying to copy the action.

She lets out a soft laugh, as Stiles wraps his arms around her neck. "I love you Mommy." He whispers into her neck.

"I love you too, Honey." She whispers back. "I love you too."

October 19th 2003.

"And today Mom, me and Scott crossed the monkey bars without anyone helping us." Stiles grins up at his Mother, from where he's lying across her legs.

"That's amazing Honey." She smiles back, making an effort to not let the pain show. "You're like the real-life Spiderman."

Stiles' face practically glows and he sits back on his heels. "I know right?" He squeals, then looks at her serious. "Are you sure I've never been bitten by a radioactive spider Mom?" His warm amber eyes hold all the seriousness of a child trying to find out the wonders of the fictional universe.

"I'm sorry Hon." She replies, faking sadness. "But if you'd have been bitten by a radioactive spider, I'd have sold you to the government and moved to Hawaii by now." She tries to hold in a smirk at her last comment.

Stiles' eyes go wide and he shakes his head quickly. "You wouldn't Mommy, I'm too awesome to get rid of. Who would sneak you treats into the hospital when the nurses aren't looking?" He stiffens and a flash of horror crosses his face, as he glances around to make sure there are no nurses around. Seeing the coast is clear he relaxes slightly and crawls up closer to his Mother.

"When can we go to the park again Mom?" He asks. Last month she had been well enough to go sit in the park with him for a few hours, but she had soon grown tired and they had to bring her back to the hospital.

She looks up at her son with sadness and brushes a hand through his short, buzz cut hair. He had cut it all off at the beginning of the chemotherapy because, 'If Mommy can look awesome with no hair, then I can too."

"Maybe next week." She says and her chest tightens at the disappointment in Stiles' face.

He nods, biting his bottom lip and looks down at his hands, where he's gripped the sheets on he hospital bed. She leans forwards, groaning at the pain and places both her hands on his cheeks. 

"Look at me, Honey." She tells him and his eyes move up to meet hers. She can see the redness around his eyes, where the tears are threatening to spill. "When I get better, we're gonna spend every single day at the park." He doesn't seem convinced, so she continues. "And then when my hair grows out again, you can plait it and brush it like you used to do." She strokes her thumbs over his cheeks, as a few tears start to fall. He leans into her palms and sniffs, trying to control his breathing.

"O...okay..." He stutters and smiles weakly. "We can go on the swings."

She smiles back, ignoring the growing pain in her chest. "Yeah, we can go on the swings and you can show me how to climb across the monkey bars."

Stiles beams at her, then there's a knock on the door and Melissa's head pops around the corner of the door. "Hello Emma." She nods at them both and enters the room. "Stiles, Scott's in the cafeteria if you want to go get some chocolate mousse."

Stiles looks over at his Mother and she nods at him to go. He leans forwards and kisses her on the tip of her nose, before sliding off the bed and waving goodbye. "I'll see you soon Mom." He exits the room and they can hear his footsteps walk down the hall.

Melissa looks away from the door with a hint of fondness, then her features settle into an uneasy smile. "Emma, it...it doesn't look good." She says.

Emma nods and the tears start to flow. "I know Melissa, it's okay." She says and waves her over. She comes and sits by her bed and grabs her hand.

"I'm so sorry Em, I really am." Melissa says and she wipes away her own tears. "How do you feel now though?"

Emma cringes and grips Melissa's hand. "It hurts so bad Melissa, I...I need you to get John." She pauses, taking a breath and steeling herself against the pain. "Pl...please, Melissa."

Melissa nods and hurries out of the room, whilst Emma just lays back against the cushions and closes her eyes. Her breathing starts to slow, but her body shakes with tremors of pain. She tries to open her eyes again, but the pain is too much. Her senses are dulled, but she can still hear the faint, slow beeping of her heart monitor. She grips the sheets and bites her lip against the pain, before letting out a vicious sob and collapsing against the bed.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stiles re-enters his Mother's room, scooping out the last of his chocolate mousse and spooning it into his mouth. He closes the door behind him and then freezes. Something's wrong, he can feel it. It takes him a couple of minutes, but he can hear the slow beeping of his Mother's heart monitor and he realizes his mind is just playing tricks on him. He tunes into the steady beeping of the machine to calm himself down.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.............._

Stiles drops his mousse carton and screams.

October 19th 2013.

Stiles' heart hurts. His body is fine, his heart is fine. But it hurts so bad.

He stumbles his way through school, only paying the smallest amount of attention in his classes. Luckily he has a free period at the end of the day, so he's able to leave early, climb into his jeep and amble his way home. He gets to his house and slides out of the jeep, shuffling up to the front of his house. It takes him three attempts to get the key into the lock and let himself in. He closes the door behind him and flicks the lock, before dragging himself up the stairs and into his bedroom.

He throws his bag under his desk and then falls back onto his bed. That's when the tears start to fall and he can feel all the bottled up anger and pain from the whole day crawl up to the surface. Violent sobs rack his body and he viciously swipes away his tears. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out his phone and sends a text to Scott.

_Can u cm 2 mine?_

He lays the phone on his chest and tries to count backwards from 100, to calm himself down. He gets to 64, just as his phone buzzes against his chest.

_Can't srry bro. Goin 2 Allison's. Talk soon :)_

Stiles takes a gasping breath, but it doesn't seem to be helping. How could Scott forget what day it was? He didn't even approach Stiles all day, so he just expected to see him after school. 

He can feel it now, the tightness spreading up his chest and constricting his airway. He grasps at his phone as he tries to gulp in breaths of air, but it only makes it more difficult to breathe. He flicks through his contacts shakily and pulls up this first name that comes to mind. The phone rings three times, before it's answered.

"Stiles?"

"Der...Der...I...I need..." He gasps.

"Stiles!" Derek shouts. "Stiles?!"

He takes in a mouthful of air. "I...I need you." He drops the phone next to him and slides off the bed, curling his knees up against his chest. His hands grip his hair, as he struggles to breathe and his hearing numbs into a constant ringing. His eyes glaze over as the lack of oxygen pulls him into unconsciousness.

But then there are hands gripping his face and pulling his head up.

"..."

"...iles..."

"Stiles!" He hears someone shout.

He blinks a couple of times and a blurry face appears in front of him. One of the hands disappears from his face and he feels it grasp his hand and place it against the person's chest.

"...with me."

"Breathe with me, Stiles." He can hear the voice clearer now and his mind helpfully supplies that it's Derek.

"Der...Derek." He whispers, hand pressing deeper into his chest.

"Yeah, Stiles. I'm here." Derek leans forwards and places his forehead against Stiles'. "I need you to listen to my heartbeat, Stiles. Try and breathe in time with it."

Stiles gulps and nods, concentrating on the steady thump of Derek's heart. He looks up and catches Derek's eye, his breath stuttering for a completely different reason now. He gulps again and after about 10 minutes his heart rate is still elevated, but it's under control. He's come back enough that he can feel Derek's breath ghosting over his lips, so he pulls back and leans his head against the bed, Derek's hand slipping from his cheek.

"Thanks." He says, looking at his ceiling. He can hear Derek shuffling and then his hands are back, gripping his face.

"Stiles." He says and Stiles looks forwards at him. "I'm sorry." Then he pulls him forward into a hug. 

Stiles doesn't move, he just lets Derek hold him. After a minute of being wrapped up in Derek's hug, he throws his arms around him and pushes his face into the crook of Derek's neck.

"Thank you." He whispers. "Thank you."

He can feel Derek nod and tighten his arms around him.

"You're not alone Stiles. I'm here."

Stiles just pushes his head further into Derek's neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S This chapter was very cathartic for me as I lost my own Mother to cancer when I was younger, I can totally relate to the yearly angst when it gets close to her Death-aversary.
> 
> I really hope you guys like this!
> 
> I'm gonna post this fic daily to start getting me back into the routine of writing everyday, especially now I have 3 months of free time.
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, thanks a bunch :D
> 
> Follow me on tumblr and things: charlotteatethecat ;)


	5. I didn't know you could dance...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and his Father are invited to the Public Services Charity ball.
> 
> The only problem.
> 
> Stiles can't dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so late guys, shit has just hit the fan in my personal life and I've had stuff to sort out.
> 
> Hopefully I'll be able to treat you with numerous chapters instead of just one :D
> 
> Okay, so some parts of this are a bit cliche...but who cares?! We all love a bit of cliche ;)

" Step, one, two, three. Step, one, two, three."

Stiles spun around the front living room; his arms held up in front of him as if he was with a partner, and tried to avoid hitting any of the furniture that was in his way. He looked down at his feet, to make sure that he was stepping as the woman on the video was telling him to and didn't notice he was moving dangerously close the fireplace. Twirling around quickly, his chest hits the corner of said fireplace and Stiles recoils like he's just been shot.

"Ow. Fuck. Christ." He whines, rubbing his hand across his chest. "Knew I was never going to be a dancer."

He walks over to the couch and flops down onto it, before reaching over and closing down the YouTube page, where a woman is dancing with a partner and directing the students on how to move. Satisfied that he'll never have to listen to the woman again, he leans back into the couch, scowling over at the fireplace, where a small piece of card advertises the main cause of Stiles' stress.

_Dear John and Genim Stilinski,_

_You are cordially invited to the annual Public Services Charity Ball_

_Please dress in formal attire. Masks will be provided at the venue, unless you wish to purchase your own._

_The Ball will be held at the Franklin & Freemacer Hotel in Marsleydale_

_We look forward to seeing you._

_Graham Bennet, Senior Officer, Marsleydale Sheriff's Department_

"Why Dad? Why?" He mutters to himself. "I mean I appreciate the whole taking care of the town and stuff, but really? A charity ball...I can't even dance."

He hears a snigger come from the doorway of the living room and promptly flails off the couch, landing hard on the floor. "Christ Erica!" He gasps. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She says, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Well, long enough to know that you can't dance for shit and that the whole flailing limbs thing." She emphasizes by waving her arms around, whilst walking further into the room, grinning. "Is a real issue for you."

"Oh, ha ha, Catwoman." He replies sarcastically. "What are you doing here anyway?"

She raises an eyebrow that says 'Are you kidding me right now?' How do they even do that? It's like Isaac, Boyd and Erica have inherited Derek's sassy brows. "Pack meeting, moron." She tells him. "Derek has some workers round at the loft, so he told us to meet here. He said you wouldn't mind."

"Oh he did, did he." Stiles grumbles, before sighing and relaxing his shoulders. "Fine, settle down th..."

He had barely finished speaking before he had an armful of Erica and a mouthful of her hair. "Pthhtt..." He spat, as he tried to pull her hair from across his face. "When I said settle down, I meant on the couch, not on _me_!"

Erica grumbles, but it sounds more like a cat purring and mumbles. "But you're so soft and comfy." With this she wriggles further into Stiles' arms.

Stiles' hand instinctively comes up to her hair and he starts to run his fingers through it. "Hey Catwoman." He says softly, looking down at her. "What's up?"

She leans into his touch and sighs. "Boyd's being weird, Isaac's being weird and Derek's being weird."

"Weird how?" He asks, continuing to run his fingers through her hair.

"I don't know." She says. "They keep looking at me funny and sniffing me. Isaac especially. He's been all up in my grill this week. This is the only time I've been able to escape." She sniffles against his shirt. "And I've been feeling sick all week."

He frowns down at her. "Wait, I thought you guys can't get sick."

"We can't." She wails into his shirt. "So, why do I feel like my stomach is going to jump out of my thro..."

"Ahem..."

Stiles screams and grips Erica, as Derek just smirks from where he's stood in the doorway.

"Jesus. Motherfucking werewolves." He mutters, when he calms himself down slightly. "You guys need a bell or something on you. The human can only take so much strain on his heart you know."

Derek glares at him, but his lips are playing with a smile. "Isaac, Boyd and Scott are on their way and Allison, Jackson and Lydia have just pulled up in the driveway."

Stiles nods, then lets Erica extricate herself from him, wiping her eyes, where her perfect makeup is still...just perfect. Honestly it's like magic, it's impossible for her to not look beautiful.

She punches his arms softly and grins. "Thanks Batman." She says and he realizes he said the last bit out loud.

"Oh..." He blushes. "No problem."

It's just around this time that the girls and Jackson walk in settling themselves on the other chairs in the room. Scott, Isaac and Boyd come in a minute later, Isaac settling at Stiles' feet, Boyd squishing up besides Erica and Scott moving off to get snacks from the kitchen. Derek walks around the small table in the middle of the room, takes off his jacket and sits on the floor by the TV. When he first did this at a pack meeting everyone looked at him confused, but then he shrugged and simply said. "I'm a floor person."

Scott comes back in with some potato chips, oreos and a box of blueberry pop tarts Stiles hid behind the fruit bowl, because he knows his father would never even look there. Everyone moves forward and grabs something to eat, whilst Derek starts talking about patrols around the reserve, even though there is no current threat. After he's finished speaking Isaac and Boyd give him very pointed looks. He sighs and looks over at Erica.

"So..." He starts. "I bet you've been wondering what's been going on this past week."

She looks at him blankly before replying. "Yes...yes I have."

Derek rubs his face and looks mildly embarrassed, whilst the girls look on with humorous grins and Stiles has no idea what the hell is going on.

"You're in heat." Derek blurts out, eyes wide with horror.

Erica freezes. "I'm in what now?"

"Heat." Derek grits out. "You're in heat, that's why you've been feeling unwell and Isaac, Boyd and myself have been around you so much. You feel sick because your body is preparing for a child, but you aren't pregnant, so it kinda fights back." He gives her a moment to think it over before continuing. "And Boyd, Isaac and I have been hovering around you, because it's our instinct to protect a female in heat, so no-one takes advantage of her."

Stiles' mouth is wide open in shock. "That makes so much sense." He mutters.

Before anyone can react, Erica grabs Boyd's hand and pulls him up off the couch. "We have some talking to do." She addresses the room, then pulls Boyd after her, as she practically runs out the door.

No one moves, but everyone's eyes are on the door Boyd and Erica just left through.

"Well then." Lydia states, standing up and brushing herself down. "I suppose this meeting's over then. Allison, you coming?"

"I was going to go over to Scott's." She says, smiling over at where Scott is sat next to Isaac.

"No problem." Lydia says. "Come on Jackson."

Jackson gets up from his chair, just as Scott also gets up and moves over to Allison. Isaac then says he has to go meet up with a new friend of his that he met in town. Whilst everyone is saying their goodbyes, Stiles' phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and his mouth drops open when he reads the text from Erica.

_Derek knows how to dance you know. You should get him to show you some moves ;)_

He quickly closes his mouth when he looks up at Derek and sees him staring at him with a confused look on his face. After a moment Derek raises an eyebrow.

"It's nothing." Stiles says, then he realizes that everyone else has left and it's just him and Derek. "So..."

"I'm just gonna go." Derek says, indicating the door with his arm.

"Ermm...sure yeah. I'll see you in a couple of days right?" He asks and when Derek gives him a blank look he adds. "You said you were gonna have a barbecue, you know, like a pack celebration for Isaac's birthday."

"Oh yeah, right." He answers. "I suppose I should get some food then. Later Stiles." And with that, he waves and walks out to where the camaro is.

Stiles bites his lip, gripping the phone in his hand. "Oh, fuck it." He murmurs. 

"Derek wait!" He calls out.

Derek turns around, with a surprised look on his face. "Stiles?"

"I need your help." Stiles says.  
\-------------------------------------

Two hours later and Stiles has finally got the hang of some basic ballroom dance steps. He's also got the hang of Derek's biceps, waist and his ability to magically change eye color from, a soft gray, through to hazel and then green.

Yup, he'd spent the last two hours all up in Derek's business, with Derek's hand on his waist and gripping his right palm, because of course he would lead.

"You're getting good." Derek says, his voice soft and quiet, and Stiles is pulled out of his own imagination and realizes he's looking directly at Derek.

"Ermm, yeah." He coughs. "Well, you know, you're a good teacher." He waves one of the hands that have made their way onto Derek's shoulders and notices that both Derek's hands are on his waist.

A light blush fills his cheeks, as Derek moves closer into his space. "Well I did learn from the best." Derek says.

Stiles gulps. "Laura?"

Derek sighs, but it's fond, as if he's recalling a memory. "Yeah. She needed someone to practice with for one of her dances, so me being the younger brother, got the job." He's smiling now, but there's a sad edge to his eyes.

Stiles instinctively moves closer to offer comfort and ends up chest to chest with Derek. He's warm and even though they only seem to be friends, the contact doesn't seem awkward, just...comfortable.

"What is this all for anyway?" Derek asks.

Stiles rolls his eyes. "It's for this charity ball thing. Me and my Dad got invited as representatives of Beacon Hills."

"Sounds fun." Derek adds, with a questioning eyebrow.

"It really isn't." Stiles replies. "I went to one a couple of years ago and all the sheriffs from the other towns were trying to hook me up with their daughters."

Derek snorts and Stiles flicks his ear.

"Hey! It's not funny. There were teenage girls all over me and I could hardly break their hearts by saying I wasn't interested. It was traumatizing." He explains, groaning near the end.

"I thought you would enjoy all the attention." Derek states, his ear pinking up from where Stiles flicked it.

Stiles scrunches up his face. "Dude no. By this point I was pretty heavily batting for the other team."

Derek's mouth forms a little O. 

"Didn't you know?" Stiles asks, confused.

"Ermm..." Derek coughs. "No, no I didn't."

Stiles goes to move away. "Well if this is an iss..."

"No." Derek barks, gripping Stiles' waist tighter. "God that's not what I meant." He looks around the room, before his eyes settle on Stiles and he sees Stiles' wicked grin.

"I know, I was just toying with you." Stiles laughs.

Derek rolls his eyes and pulls away. "Well it's getting late and you should get rested if you're going to spend tomorrow night dancing away."

Stiles smiles and rubs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I mean we have been doing this for hours."

"And I think you've got the basic steps down." Derek adds.

"Thanks to you. At least now I won't embarrass myself too much." Stiles says, as they walk to the front door.

Derek opens the door and turns around to face Stiles on the porch. "Well, good luck."

"Thanks." Stiles replies, slightly nervous.

Derek puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezes it. "You'll be fine and you never know, you might get a swarm of guys all over you."

Stiles rolls his eyes and sighs. "I doubt it."

Derek just squeezes tighter. "Or maybe just one guy. You might meet someone you want to have a relationship with." Derek's throat closed off as he finished the sentence. A sting of jealousy running through him at the idea of Stiles dancing and dating another guy. He smiles, but it's forced, then he turns and walks down to the camaro.

Stiles watches after him, a sad smile on his face. "I don't think that's possible." He whispers.  
\-------------------------------------

Stiles had been at the ball for approximately two and a half hours. His suit was too warm, the thin black mask he was wearing was itching his face and he'd only danced with about four people. One of them being the host's daughter, who just kept coming back for more.

He hadn't stepped on anyone's feet or accidentally bumped into anyone, so he was generally counting the night as a success. But he couldn't forget Derek's words. What if he did meet someone? How would Derek feel? It's not as if he'd shown any interest. But Stiles didn't want to meet just anyone. He wanted Derek, and wow, that was not the kind of revelation he was expecting.

He shook his head and glanced out onto the dance floor. He'd managed to hide himself away in a corner of the room and was watching his Father dancing and laughing with the host's wife. He didn't notice someone coming up behind him, until they cleared their throat.

"Ahem."

Stiles is proud of himself, he kept the flailing down to a minimum, but still managed a quiet squawk.

"Dude, you scared me." He said, holding a hand over his chest and turning around to face the stranger. He freezes when he gets a look at the man in front of him. He has a white mask that starts just above his lips and finishes a few centimeters below his hairline. His black suit is fitted snugly around a white shirt and black skinny tie. He has dark hair, a hint of stubble and soft green eyes.

Stiles gulps and realizes, yup, he definitely has a type. 

"So..." The stranger starts, in what Stiles would describe as a sexy tone of voice. "You don't feel like dancing."

"Haven't found the right partner." He answers instantly and God, when did his brain think it was okay to flirt.

The stranger grins and of course his teeth are perfect, honestly it's like the Gods are toying with him. "Well, maybe we can change that."

Before Stiles knows it, he's being dragged out onto the dance floor by the stranger and soon finds strong hands gripping his waist, and his hands across the guy's shoulders.

They dance for about an hour, sharing information about each other. For example, Stiles learns that his name is Dale and he isn't actually part of a Sheriffs Department, but he donated a huge amount of money to the local community, so he got an invite as a thank you. Stiles then tells him that he's the son of the Sheriff, has just finished high school and his hoping to study history and graphic art as a joint major.

As the night starts coming to an end, Dale pulls Stiles out onto one of the balconies around the hotel. It's slightly chilly out and Stiles shivers at the change in temperature, but then Dale is there as a warm presence at his back. They walk over to the ledge and continue talking and then out of the blue Dale leans forwards and presses his lips to Stiles'. His lips are soft and hesitant, but Stiles pushes forward and it becomes harder. Dale cups Stiles' face and he can feel the stubble rubbing across his cheeks.

Stiles wonders if this is what it feels like to kiss Derek and immediately pulls away. "I'm sorry." He gasps. "I...I can't. There's this guy." He looks up at Dale and notices the man's face drop into a frown.

"Oh..." He says. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Stiles says. "I mean that was pretty awesome, but I just can't."

"It's fine." Dale says.

"I think I'm just gonna call him to pick me up." Stiles says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"What about your Dad?" Dale asks.

"I'll text him later and just say I wasn't feeling well." Stiles replies. "He'll be fine, he has some meetings with the other Sheriffs tomorrow anyway."

Stiles goes through his contacts and clicks on Derek. He walks a bit away from where Dale is looking out from the balcony and God does he look sad. The phone rings a few times and Stiles can hear someone else's phone ringing nearby. He ends the call, then rings again. Once again someone's phone rings nearby. Stiles turns around and looks over at where Dale is stood, phone in hand, with a confused expression on his face.

Stiles hangs up and Dale's phone stops ringing. "Der...ek?" Stiles croaks out.

Dal...Derek looks up and locks eyes with Stiles and Stiles lets out a burst of nervous laughter. "Please tell me you didn't drive all the way out here and come to the ball, just to kiss me." Stiles says.

Derek looks down at his feet sheepishly and Stiles can't help but smile fondly at him. He walks over and knocks Derek's head up with his hands. "Hey Sourwolf." He says. "You really didn't need to do all this just to kiss me."

Then before Derek can react, Stiles grips his face and pulls them together. The kiss is soft at first, neither one of them knowing how to react, before Derek takes control and leads Stiles with his mouth. All Stiles can think about is that Derek's mouth is warm. HOLY GOD I'M KISSING DEREK. Is that an arm around my back? OH DEAR LORD HE'S PULLING ME CLOSER. Yup, I'm definitely Derek-sexual.

After a few moments they pull apart and Derek speaks, his voice deep. "You called me?"

Stiles bites his swollen lips and nods. "Yeah."

"Why?" Derek asks.

Stiles looks him right in the eye as he speaks. "Because you always answer."

Derek smiles and it lights up his whole face, before ducking forwards and capturing Stiles' lips once more.

Someone clears their throat and they both jump and turn towards the noise.

"Da...Dad?!" Stiles squeaks.

"Hello boys." John starts and he looks slightly smug. "I'm ermm...just gonna leave you two to do...whatever it is you're doing and Derek I hope you don't mind taking Stiles home."

"No problem, Sir." He answers, looking a bit scared.

"Good. And tomorrow you're coming round for dinner. We're going to have a chat." John smiles and walks back into the hotel.

"Oh God." Stiles breathes and leans into Derek's chest. He can feel the rumble of Derek's laugh, so he pinches his side. "This isn't funny."

Derek just laughs harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys like this!
> 
> I'm gonna post this fic daily to start getting me back into the routine of writing everyday, especially now I have 3 months of free time.
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, thanks a bunch :D
> 
> Follow me on tumblr and things: charlotteatethecat ;)


	6. He doesn't...he doesn't know.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and his Father go out for a meal, it doesn't end the way either of them thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry :( My friend was upset that I did this...sorry Ellie.
> 
> Trigger warnings: Violence :S
> 
> I'm sorry again...like super sorry :/

Stiles and his Dad were sat in one of the local diners for their official weekly get together. Sure they sometime had dinner with each other during the week, but on Thursdays their schedules were always clear.

They had just ordered their meals, a cheeseburger and curly fries for Stiles and a steak salad for his Father. It was only on Thursdays that Stiles was lenient with his Father's diet.

"So, son." John starts, taking a sip of his water. Oh yes, Stiles' kindness regarding his Dad's diet only stretched so far. "Is Derek coming over this weekend?"

Stiles nods, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Yeah, but you know that? Why are you asking?"

John just shrugs. "No reason. Just wondering if he wanted to come on a weekend fishing trip."

Stiles chokes on the mouthful of soda he just drank. "Wh...what?!" He coughs.

"You know, just me and him." John takes another drink of his water. "Like a bonding thing."

Stiles rolls his eyes. "Dad we've been together what? 2 months. It's not like you need to intimidate him again." Stiles shudders, recalling that first meal with his Father and Derek. Let's just say Derek is now very familiar with 'Sandy', his Dad's hand gun.

"No, but we need to talk about some other things." John says.

Stiles is slightly worried now and he leans forward, resting his arms on the table. "What things, Dad?"

"Just stuff." He says, looking over his son's shoulder. "Ooh, looks like our order is here."

A young girl comes over to their table, balancing a plate in each hand. "Sorry for the wait." She says as she arrives. She blows her fringe out of her eyes, then smiles down at them both. "Cheeseburger and curly fries?"

"Err, that's me thanks." Stiles says, waving his arm. 

She places his plate in front of him and then places the steak salad in front of the John. She pulls her short, mousy blonde hair behind her ear and hesitates for a moment. "If you need anything else, just shout." Then she turns and walks away.

"Hmm..." Stiles says, stuffing his mouth with curly fries. "She seemed a bit peculiar."

John scoffs around a mouthful of salad. "You didn't recognize her?"

"Nufhh." Stiles murmurs through a mouthful of curly fries.

John just rolls his eyes and takes another bite of his steak. He swallows and then explains. "That was Lottie Bracken."

Stiles just looks at him blankly, chewing on a mouthful of burger.

His Dad sighs. "Lottie Bracken? You and Scott used to go to the park with her when you were younger." Stiles gives him another blank look and he continues, exasperated. "When you were six you rushed home from the park shouting to me and your Mom that you were in love and that kissing was way better than baseball."

Stiles chokes on a piece of burger and washes it down with some soda. "That was Lottie Bracken?" He whispers, his eyes wide with recognition. "Wow. She grew up...hot."

They both glance over at where Lottie is leaning against the counter and talking to another member of staff. She's fairly tall, wearing a uniform of denim shorts with tights, a fitted blue t-shirt with the diner's logo on her left breast and some well-worn navy converse. Her hair is cut into a long bob and a full fringe that keeps falling over her chocolate colored eyes. They watch her reach over the counter and grab for some...glasses? She pulls out some rectangular black frames and places them on her face.

Stiles gulps. If he wasn't completely head-over-heels in love with Derek, he could probably imagine still being friends with Lottie, maybe even in a relationship with her. But unfortunately, Derek is the only guy for him.

He sighs. "We would have been a lovely couple."

John scoffs. "Yeah, but you and Derek are perfect for each other."

Stiles nods and grins. "Yeah, yeah we are."  
\-----------------------------------------

After finishing their meals Stiles and his Dad ask Lottie to bring them their check. Stiles smiles and comments on her glasses, to which she blushes furiously. She then asks after them both and hopes that Stiles is happy with his new man. She says he's a catch. Stiles just laughs and does some blushing himself, before giving him her number and saying they should catch up sometime.

After that they say their goodbyes and exit into the chilly night air. They've walked about a block down the road, just chatting about random topics, when from out of nowhere Stiles is knocked into a wall and his Father is pushed to the ground.

He looks up and there's a man grasping the front of his shirt and keeping him up against the wall. He panics and looks over at where his Dad is sprawled on the floor, glaring up at his attacker. He then looks back at the man in front of him and instantly recognizes him. His stomach drops. It's one of the goons who took him the night of the final lacrosse game.

"We meet again, Wolfbait." The man sneers.

Stiles has enough gall to roll his eyes and comment. "Really? That's just textbook villain right there, buddy."

That comment earns him a head bash against the wall. "Don't mess with me kid." The man growls. "Tell us where the Alpha is."

"No." Stiles bites out, without hesitation.

The man raises his eyebrows. "I'm sure we can figure something out."

The other attacker raises a gun over his Father's head.

Stiles' eyes widen in fear and anger. "Stop. Please, leave him out of it." Stiles screams. "He doesn't know." He sobs. "He doesn't know anything."

"Then tell us where the Alpha...oh no wait, your boyfriend is and Daddy might just survive." The man grins at Stiles.

Stiles doesn't know what to do. He can't let his Father die and he can't let them know where Derek is. Either way, someone he loves is going to die.

"Stiles." He hears his Dad say. "I don't know what's happening, but don't you give these sons of bitches anything."

Stiles sobs and he can feel the tears running down his face. He keeps his eyes on his Dad and can hear the man say something to him. "Well, that settles it then."

The man standing over his Father pulls the trigger.

Stiles screams.

"Dad! Pl...please. Dad..." He sobs.

"Come on Princess." The guy in front of him says, pulling his arm. "Let's go.

"Wait...wait." Stiles says. "Let me call someone for him.

The guy looks at him as if he must think he's stupid.

"Trust me, you don't want the death of the Sheriff of Beacon Hills on your hands." He says.

The guy nods and Stiles quickly pulls out his phone and dials.

Derek picks up.

"Stiles? I thought you were out with your Dad?" He asks.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Stiles replies hurriedly. "Look I need you to meet us a block down from the diner we were at."

"Sure thing." Derek says. "But why? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, everything's fine." Stiles lies, his heart breaking slightly. "The jeep just broke down is all."

"Oh okay, I'll see you in 10." Derek answers.

"Okay." Stiles pauses. "And Derek?"

"Yeah, Stiles."

"I love you." He says then hangs up.

He looks over at where his Dad is lying on the ground, blood pooling around his shoulder. He can see the faint rise and fall of his chest, so he's holding out hope that Derek will get here in time.  
\---------------------------------------

Derek parks up the camaro near the diner, but Stiles' jeep is nowhere to be seen. He's about to walk into the diner when he smells it. The thick, heavy scent of blood. Lots of blood. Before he realizes it, he's running around the corner and can see the Sheriff lying, immobile on the pavement.

"Sheriff?" Derek says, panicked. "John?!

He can see the blood oozing from John's shoulder and knows that he hasn't been here long. But where's Stiles? He applies pressure to the wound on his shoulder and John jerks at the touch.

"Stillees." He mumbles. "They...ha...have Stiles."

Derek growls and sniffs the air. He can smell two men, as well as Stiles, and wolfsbane. Lots of wolfsbane.

"Hunters." He grinds out.

He startles at John's hand on his shoulder.

"Find my...my boy, Derek." He says, his voice fairly firm considering the situation. "Find Stiles."

"I will, don't worry." He says in agreement.

"Good." John says, his voice becoming faint. "Because he needs you."

John's hand drops from Derek's shoulder and lands on his chest. His un-moving chest.

Derek swings back his head and lets out a heart-wrenching howl that cracks at the end.

This time, Stiles doesn't howl back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN!!!!!
> 
> Minor note: I had an idea that after the incident with Stiles breaking his foot, that when he and Derek got separated on runs with the pack, they would howl to find each other :)
> 
> I really hope you guys like this!
> 
> I'm gonna post this fic daily to start getting me back into the routine of writing everyday, especially now I have 3 months of free time.
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, thanks a bunch :D
> 
> Follow me on tumblr and things: charlotteatethecat ;)


	7. He'll make sure of it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunters have Stiles, will Derek be able to get to him in time?
> 
> And will the Sheriff survive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long...I've had so much going on with my A-levels and then working over the summer and now Uni...
> 
> I'm really sorry guys :(
> 
> P.S. The italics are a flashback ;)

Stiles hisses as his hands are locked above him, the shackles snagging the skin of his wrists slightly, causing them to bleed. He keeps his eye on the two hunters as they walk around the small...dungeon. Stiles snorts at the stereotypical bad-guy hideout and tries to control himself before they decide to really hurt him. Instead, he looks around to see if there is anything he can use as a weapon or anyway to get out of the room itself. He'll acknowledge the fact that both of his hands are out of commission later.

"Hey!" He shouts at his captors, trying to get their attention. "You gonna explain your plan to me? Because I'm pretty confused right now."

Lies. All lies. Stiles knows exactly what's going to happen. They're going to hurt him. Real bad. But there's still a small naive part of him that's hoping they'll just keep him here and go out to find Derek. Although he thinks that might be worse. If there's one thing he can't stand, it's the waiting. Not knowing if his friends are going to come back this time...if Derek's going to come back. 

"Don't play stupid with us, Boy." The first guy says. Well there goes the plan of acting dumb. "You know exactly why you're here."

"Are we gonna have a heart-to-heart? Talk about your terrible childhood? Daddy problems?" Stiles sneers. He doesn't see the fist, but by God does he feel it. He struggles to take a breath as he feels the red hot pain running across his gut. He gasps for air, as he feels the other guy grip his chin and lift his head to look at him.

"I see you're a chatty one." The other guy leers, and Stiles has decided to name, Thug 2. "Lets see if you're a screamer too."

As he says it, Thug 2 pushes a cattle prod into Stiles' side and smirks as Stiles holds back a scream, biting through his lip and letting the blood slip down his chin.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek paces in front of the Sheriff's hospital room, listening to the steady beep of his heart monitor. He brushes his hand down the front of his body and winces at the feel of the Sheriff's blood still damp on his shirt. He hears footsteps behind him and turns, hoping to see Mrs. McCall with some news, Instead he sees Lottie, her hands covered in drying blood, a speck of it on her nose where she has obviously pushed her glasses up. She gives him a small smile and hands him one of the coffee's she is holding. 

"Don't worry, Derek, he's going to be fine." She says and places her hand on his arm.

He doesn't smile back and he can't help but think about who she means.

_Lottie sprinted around the corner of the diner, her phone held up to her ear. She froze as she saw what was in front of her, the operators tinny voice asking her what had happened. She gulped as she relayed to the operator what she saw. One gunshot wound to the shoulder, unconscious, 23 Valley Grove Street. The basics. The injury, the state of the victim and the address._

_After hanging up, she quickly put her phone into her back pocket and ran over to where Derek was kneeling over the Sheriff's body. She dropped down on the other side and pushed Derek's hands away from the Sheriff's wound, before replacing them with her own. This earned her a snarl from Derek, but just as he does it he immediately quietens into a soft whimper._

_"Derek? Derek, where's Stiles?" She asked him, listening out for the sound of an ambulance. "Where's Stiles, Derek? Derek!"_

_"I...I don't know." He whispered. "They just took him. They. Just. Took. Him."_

_Lottie flinched back slightly at Derek's snarl and her eyes widened as she saw a red hue swirl around his pupil. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew that Stiles was in danger and that Derek wasn't exactly human. She was willing to hold off on the second point until a later date, but now all she needed to know was whether the Sheriff was going to be okay, and who the hell had Stiles._

She watches as Derek grips the coffee cup, but makes no move to drink it. She doesn't know what Derek is and she's just waiting until she's going to be afraid of that fact, but she's willing to hold out until Stiles is back safe. She takes a sip of her drink before turning and facing him.

"Look, I know that something is going on here that is obviously way out of the realm of normal human things, but I would much appreciate it if you disappeared and found Stiles." She says, all in one breath, trying to stay calm. "I'll stay with the Sheriff, you go look for your boyfriend, okay?" She holds up a hand as Derek opens his mouth to interrupt. "I'm going to forget that your eyes glowed red and that you actually growled at me, no we are definitely going to discuss that, but I would really appreciate it if you brought Stiles back to us."

Derek didn't know how to react. Who was this girl? Obviously one of Stiles' friends, but so willing to let something blatantly supernatural pass her by, she was going to be someone that he was going to have to let into the loop. He nods at her and hands her the coffee before placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you." He says and smiles at her, before moving past her and rushing to the exit.

Just as he gets outside, he takes a deep breath in and tries to pick up some sort of scent. Stiles and himself are that connected now, that he could pick up Stiles scent anywhere. His eyes bleed into red as he catches a faint scent, weak but still there. He feels his face slip into Beta form and lets out an ear-splitting howl, before running off into the woods.

Lottie takes a seat by the Sheriff's bed and reaches over for his hand, gripping it tightly. "Don't you worry, Sheriff, Derek's on the job." She says, smiling at him. A howl reaches her ears and she looks out the window. "Yeah, definitely ignoring the supernatural shenanigans until a later date."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stiles pants as he feels the knife drag across his ribs, leaving a streak of blood in it's wake. He doesn't know how long he's been down here, it could have been minutes or hours, all he knows is pain. Constant, crippling pain. He lifts his head slightly and tries to see where Thug 1 and Thug 2 are. He can't open one of his eyes after making a comment about Thug 1's Mother and having an apology beaten out of him...not that he did apologise.

"You know, I have to admire you, Wolfbait." Thug 2 spits. "You haven't screamed yet. That's a real talent."

Stiles smirks at the guy. "Well you know, there's only one guy that I'm gonna scream for...and you've got at least 20 years on him, so..."

He doesn't finish his sentence before there's a fist connecting with his jaw. He feels tears at the corner of his eyes and tries to blink them away, opening and closing his mouth to make sure that he hasn't broken his jaw. He spits out a glob of blood before grinning up at the two guys, blood across his teeth.

"You guys are really stupid." He sighs, laughing slightly and ignoring the screaming pain from across his whole body. "I mean, you've had me shackled up here, done God knows what to my body, when really you could have waited like 5 minutes after I made the phone call earlier and you'd have had your Alpha werewolf."

The two thugs look at each other with confusion, until realisation dawns on both their faces. "The person you called. That was the Alpha?" Thug 1 asks.

"Yup." Stiles pops the P and grins up at them both. He knows he's caught them out there and he's just so happy to know that Derek is away from danger, although he's not so sure of himself. For the past 10 minutes he's felt a tugging pain in the centre of his chest and he knows it's not from anything the two hunters have done to him. He just knows it's Derek and he sags a bit in relief knowing that he's on his way.

His relief is short lived when Thug 2 grabs him around the throat and lifts him off the ground. "You mean that the Alpha was within our grasp and we took you instead!" 

"Yeuu.." Stiles tries to say, but he can barely breath, never mind speak. He can see a darkness coming in the corner of his eyes and he strangles out a scream when Thug 1 hits him across the chest with a baseball bat. 

"Seeing as we couldn't get the Alpha, I suppose the Alpha's mate will have to do." Thug 2 says, before increasing his grip on Stiles' throat.

Stiles whimpers as his vision begins to blur and all he can feel is a constant searing pain across his whole body. His vision is about to go black when he hears a scuffle and what seems to be a series of growls, and the beatings to his chest stop. All he can see is Thug 2's face flitting through a variety of emotions, mainly fear. He watches as Thug 2 is dragged away and his body drops slightly. He screams, the shackles stretching his arms high above him and pulling at all the injuries across his chest, as well as the numerous broken ribs he has.

He keeps screaming and whimpering at the pain, until he feels someone grip the back of his legs and wrap them around something warm. His arms are still stretched above him, but the pressure has lessened now that his weight is being held by something. He feels the shackles being lifted from where they were hung across a hook and he whimpers at the small stretch of his arms, before the shackles are lowered over what he realises is someone's head and the pressure is relieved.

His cheek settles onto the person's shoulder and his nose nudges against their neck.

"Stiles...Stiles stay with me...I'm here now..." He hears the person whisper and he feels them brush a hand over his cheek.

"D'rek?" He mumbles into the persons neck and nudges his face into the warmth of the hand on his cheek.

"Yeah, Stiles. It's me." Derek whispers, leaning down to press a soft kiss onto Stiles' temple.

"Ev'rythin' h'rts." He mumbles, whimpering as Derek begins to walk out of the small dungeon-like room the hunters had been keeping him in.

Derek frowns down at his boyfriend and places his hand on Stiles' back, his shirt must have been ripped off during his time with the hunters, and black veins begin to run up his forearm. He feels Stiles sag against him and listens to his soft snuffles as he fades in and out of consciousness. He was almost too late. Stiles could have been killed. He could have lost him. Derek growls at the fact that Stiles could have been so easily killed and he feels Stiles tap a hand against his back.

"St'p that." He murmurs, shifting his nose closer to Derek's neck. " I'm f'ne."

Derek's wolf whines at being scolded by it's mate, but Derek himself smiles down at Stiles and he knows.

Stiles is going to be fine. 

He's going to make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys like this!
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, thanks a bunch :D
> 
> Follow me on tumblr and things: charlotteatethecat ;)


	8. Our pack. (And what it means to be mates.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles made it away from the hunters thanks to his mate, but Derek knows there are loose ends that need to be tied up...like a certain young waitress.
> 
> And Stiles needs to understand what being a mate really means.

Stiles had been recovering well from the hunter incident, but Melissa and the rest of the pack wanted him to stay in hospital for a few more days. At first Derek wouldn't leave his side, but Stiles wasn't having any of that and made sure that Derek left the hospital for at least four hours a day. That meant that Derek wasn't always there for when other people visited, and he was confused to hear a strangers laugh coming from Stiles' room, followed by a laugh he did recognise.

He walked down the corridor slowly, hoping to catch part of the conversation, but all he heard was Stiles' choked off laughter and the soft chuckle of the stranger. He approached the door and opened it, completely unprepared for what was inside. Stiles was laughing so hard he had fallen partially off the bed, the stranger; who he now recognised as Lottie, was sat cross-legged on the bed with two straws stuck to her top canines and was making a clawing motion with her hands.

Derek cleared his throat. "Am I interrupting something?"

Lottie flailed and ripped the straws from her mouth; her eyes wide with horror, whilst Stiles just laughed harder and struggled to pull himself back onto the bed. Derek rushed over and lifted his still laughing boyfriend onto the bed. 

"C'mon Derek, I'm not gonna hurt myself." Stiles said between laughs, waving Derek away.

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." He huffed in reply, a smirk on his face.

They heard Lottie clear her throat and both turned to look at her. She gulped and pushed her glasses up her nose, a nervous habit she's had for years. 

"So...werewolves, huh?" She said looking between them. "Have to admit that wasn't going to be my first guess."

"What was?" Derek asked.

"Radioactive spider? Fell into a vat of questionable chemicals?" She replied quickly before gathering herself. "Not a hereditary thing." 

Stiles chuckled to himself before addressing her. "You don't have to be nervous, Lottie. Derek wouldn't hurt a fly." He nudged the older werewolf and winked at him.

Lottie sputtered. "Yeah, uh no. I overheard the officers outside talking about what happened to those hunter guys. He is far from innocent." She instantly cringed when Derek's face fell. "Oh, God. I didn't mean it like that. Hell, if I'd have been there I'd have done the same, I just meant." She paused before continuing. "You're a predator, that's a fact, and I, being the most 'prey like' in the room, am simply reacting to the air of authority and power that you, Derek, are exuding."

She took a breath and gave them both a timid smile. Before Stiles could reply, Derek reached out and placed a hand on Lottie's knee.

"Hey, you don't have to be afraid of me, okay?" He started. "You helped save the Sheriff's life and then stayed here so I could go and get Stiles. You should be proud of yourself, you saved two people's lives."

He glanced over at Stiles and Stiles nodded back at him.

"And I speak on behalf of my pack, that you, Lottie Bracken, are now and always will be an ally to the Hale Pack of Beacon Hills." Derek told her, rolling his eyes at Stiles' squeak of happiness, and then placing his hand on her neck.

She gulped and looked towards Stiles, who was full on grinning now, his eyes bright with happiness. "It's okay." He said with a wink, and she gasped a little when she felt the prick of a claw on her neck.

She turned and looked back at Derek, who was smiling at her with an apologetic look in his eye. "By sharing your blood you are bound under our protection." He licked his thumb and wiped it across the cut, watching as it faded into a small thin scar.

"Gee...thanks." She said, curling a hand around the back of her neck. "You didn't have to do that."

"Oh, but we did." Stiles butted in before Derek even had a chance to speak. "We take loyalty and assistance to the pack very seriously. You're one of us now." He reached forward and wrapped his arms around her, then wiped his cheek against hers. "Scent marking. You better be prepared for that." He said as he pulled back.

She grinned at him and then looked down at her watch. "Oh, sorry guys but I have to go. I have work in like an hour and I need to get changed." She moved to stand up but was stopped when Derek also pulled her in for a hug, scent marking and all.

"Thank you." He whispered in her ear, then pulled away smiling.

"No, problemo, Wolf-man." She said, before walking out of the room.

"I like her." Derek said immediately, turning to Stiles.

"Yeah, she's great. I think the pack will..."

Stiles was interrupted by the scurry of footsteps and then a loud thump. They heard someone sigh, 'Motherfucking werewolves' and realised that the pack must have smelled the new member and came to introduce themselves.

"Hey, no hurting the human pack members, remember?" Derek muttered, knowing his Betas would hear. He smiled when he heard a chorus of affirmative growls. He then turned back to Stiles, and pushed him further onto the bed, before lifting himself up and laying down beside him.

"Hey." Stiles said when they were nose to nose.

"Hey, yourself." Derek replied, nudging his nose against Stiles' and then letting out a pleased rumble when Stiles laughed quietly and scrunched up his nose. Derek let himself look over the face of his mate, taking in his constellation of moles, his button nose and those glittering amber eyes. How could he lose this? He'd rather have Chris Argent fill him with wolfsbane before he let someone hurt his mate again.

"What's going on in your head, Sourwolf?" Stiles asked, snapping him out of his own mind, while tracing his slim fingers over the ridge of Derek's eyebrows.

"I can't lose you, Stiles." He whispered, Stiles feeling the other man's breath on his lips. "You understand right? About mates?"

Stiles nodded with a frown on his face. "Well, yeah. I mean I know they're important to the pack and stuff, keeping an eye on the Betas and helping the Alpha make decisions..."

Stiles was interrupted by Derek pushing into his space with a bruising kiss. After a moment Derek pulled back and Stiles blinked at him. He opened his mouth to ask what that was for, when Derek started to talk. "Stiles, being mated is for life. If...if anything were to happen to you, I don't know whether I'd be able to survive it." He paused. "Every...every single time they hurt you, I felt it. I felt it, Stiles. Every swing of the bat, every cut of the knife. It was killing me inside that they were doing that to you and I wasn't there to protect you."

"But you came...you idiot, you came for me." Stiles whispered, placing his right hand on Derek's cheek. "You found me."

"But what if I couldn't. Wh...what if I couldn't find you? But I could feel them hurting you. Killing you." Derek spat, red bleeding into his eyes. "What if I was too late?"

Stiles was crying now, but he was aware enough not to let Derek fall into this dark pit. So he flicked him on the nose. Derek flinched and looked at him with wide eyes, all of his attention on his younger mate.

"Don't you dare." Stiles hissed. "Don't you even dare. You will always find me, okay? Always. I don't care if I'm strung up for days or weeks, I know you will always find me. You will always bring me home. No-one is going to take me from you, nor you from me, okay?" He paused, gripping his boyfriend's face. "We're mates, Derek. I'm yours and you are mine. No slimy hunter is going to destroy that, you hear?"

Derek couldn't do anything but nod, before Stiles pulled him to his chest and let Derek settle his nose against his neck, taking in his scent. 

"Stupid, Sourwolf." Stiles muttered, kissing the top of Derek's head. "Thinks some stupid hunters could take me away." 

Derek whined low in his throat and Stiles just wrapped his arms tighter around him, rubbing his cheek across the top of his head. "I fucking love you." He whispered

Derek nipped at Stiles' neck. "I love you too."

They fell asleep wrapped up in one another and we're only woken up a few hours later by Lottie screeching in the corridor.

"DID ONE OF YOU JUST LICK ME!"

Derek and Stiles both chuckled, and Derek caught Stiles' lips in a soft kiss.

"Our pack." He muttered into Stiles' mouth.

"Our pack." Stiles repeated, grinning against Derek's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it guys, my first complete fanfic!!! *fireworks and confetti*
> 
> Thank you for all your support and the lovely comments!!
> 
> I'm working on a Sterek AU at the moment, but if you have any prompts just hit me up on tumblr (charlotteatethecat) and I'll see what I can do!!
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL AND I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY MY FUTURE WORK AS WELL!!! :3

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you guys like this!
> 
> I'm gonna post this fic daily to start getting me back into the routine of writing everyday, especially now I have 3 months of free time.
> 
> Let me know if you see any mistakes, thanks a bunch :D
> 
> Follow me on tumblr and things: charlotteatethecat ;)


End file.
